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| Image by P J Hansen |
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A GREETING
I will sing out to God with my life,
make melodies to the creator with all my strength.
(Psalm 104:33*)
A READING
Stand and wonder, O my soul, before the Eternal.
Holy One, my God, you are vast beyond measure.
You are clothed in majesty and splendor,
wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the sky like a cloth,
rafters over water in the realms above.
(Psalm 104:1-3a*)
MUSIC
Sung in Spanish, the lyrics describe how heaven and earth are singing praises to God.
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
You number all the stars and give each one a name,
You are infinite, your reach beyond measure.
(Psalm 147:4*)
A POEM
nite
sinks down
upon the earth
turning
its face
from the sun
at last
people singing
applauding
and crying
as all the stars
co-operate
and come out shining.
–"Nite" by Wayne Keon,
found in Native Poetry in Canada: A Contemporary Anthology
ed. by Jeannette C. Armstrong and Lally Grauer
VERSE OF THE DAY
Respond to the Holy with thanksgiving;
sing out to the Creator with your harp.
(Psalm 147:7)
(Today's psalm translations are by Pamela Greenberg from
The Complete Psalms: The Book of Prayer Songs in a New Translation)
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The thrush nightingale, as found on @birdsonplanet on Instagram
In the Celtic tradition, the path to close relationship with God is through nature. In this perspective, it is in nature that we find God and recognize our own participation in God’s Creation. We become more fully ourselves and more fully whole when we are in tune with nature, because we experience more closely the God within and the God that exists all around us.
In this sense, Celtic tradition believes that nature and all of Creation itself praise God all the time. The natural sounds of created life and created beings are sounds that praise God in all of God’s diverse beauty. When we sing praises to God, and when we pray out loud, dance, use our bodies, sway, hold rhythm with our voice, we too are participating in that Creation praise of God.
There are many times, however, when we do not feel in tune with nature at all, and when we are separated from nature. We may live in a place that does not allow us to see or be in nature easily. We may work in an environment that does not allow us access even on breaks to meaningful time in nature. Instead, we may have to carefully plan our schedules, even just to get a few days away.
Yesterday we looked at the two first created parts of the world: the heavens and the earth/seas. Most of us, no matter where we are, can appreciate the sky. We can stand outside and gaze at the clouds and the night stars. Even at night Creation sings God’s praise. The owls and the nightingales and the crickets since their praise to God at night. Stopping to listen to these sounds can be a form of praying. In daytime, standing on grass and appreciating its shape around our shoes and the smell of rich earth, can also help us feel more spiritually enlivened. Being present to the nature in our midst is the start to building back a deeper connection with Creation.
When today will you stand outside to appreciate where you are?
How can you draw clsoer to God this day by feeling your feet firmly on the ground, or gazing upward to the sky?
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| Image by Oscar Tian |
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LC† Come Holy Darkness is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help to support extended offerings throughout the year. Thank you and peace be with you!